Method of making a composite material by three-dimensional ink-jet printing

• US 8,932,511 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2011
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Stratasys Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Stratasys Incorporated
• Inventors: Napadensky, Eduardo
• Primary Examiner(s): Tentoni, Leo B
• Application Number:
  US13/044,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20110180952A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,405 Days
• Field of Search: 264/255, 264/401
• US Class Current: 264/401
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/448 destructible B29C33/52 takes precedence; in particular used in injection moulding B29C45/4457
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 37/005 Compensating volume or shape change during moulding, in general
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 41/48 Compensating volume change, e.g. retraction
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 41/52 Measuring, controlling or regulating
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/10 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/106 using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/112 using individual droplets, e.g. from jetting heads
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/40 Structures for supporting 3D objects during manufacture and intended to be sacrificed after completion thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 67/24 characterised by the choice of material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2063/00 Use of EP, i.e. epoxy resins or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2009/00 Layered products
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 40/20 Post-treatment, e.g. curing, coating or polishing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 70/00 Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 3/16 Braille printing typewriters or selective printing mechanisms for Braille printing B41J3/32

Abstract

A method for the preparation of a composite material having a pre-designed structure and properties according to the intended use of said composite material is provided. The method includes generating data for dispensing two or more different interface materials having different properties into at least two different phases; selectively depositing said two or more different interface materials having different properties from two or more corresponding dispensers to form layers according to the data generated, each interface material being dispensed from a different dispenser to form at least two different phases of interface materials; and curing or solidifying the dispensed layers to obtain a composite material with pre-designed structure and properties.

Claims

1. A method for the preparation of a composite material by a three-dimensional ink-jet printing system, the method comprising:

designing a composite material multi-phase structure to include predetermined combinations of two or more different compositions, each having different properties;

selectively dispensing according to said structure said two or more compositions in construction layers from two or more corresponding dispensers to form at least two different phases of composite material having predesigned isotropic and/or anisotropic properties, wherein at least one of the phases is a non-continuous phase; and

exposing the dispensed construction layers to radiation energy for at least partial solidification of the layers to obtain the composite material.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the compositions includes a curable component.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the different phases of the composite material are alternating.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the different phases of the composite material are alternating XY-planes.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein one of the predetermined combinations forms a first one of the XY-planes and another one of the predetermined combinations forms a second one of the XY-planes.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the different phases of the composite material are alternating XZ-planes.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein each of the construction layers is made of sequential predetermined combinations of the different compositions.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the different phases of the composite material comprise non continuous phases surrounded by a continuous phase.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the continuous phase is elastomeric.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the continuous phase is non-elastomeric.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the phases is a continuous phase.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein one of the phases is elastomeric.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein one of the phases is non-elastomeric.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the compositions is a photopolymer material.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the phases is inorganic.

16. The method according to claim 1 wherein the composite material structure is a macroscopic phase structure, wherein the phases are present in agglomerates the physical dimensions of which are macroscopic.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the dimensions of the agglomerates are higher than 100 micron in at least one axis.

18. The method according to claim 17 wherein the agglomerates are around 80 nano-gram.

19. The method according to claim 1 wherein said predesigned isotropic or anisotropic properties comprise mechanical, thermo-mechanical, optical, acoustic, electric properties or any combination thereof.